Game Over, Insert Heart: Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow Trivia: How Much Do You Know?

Before it became a literary love letter to creativity, grief, and gaming, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow was just an idea sparked by a lost childhood video game and a lot of pandemic solitude.

🎧 Prefer to listen? You can catch this full episode of our Blog Trivia Podcast — where we spill all the creepy, quirky facts behind Mary Shelley’s iconic novel.

From Oregon Trail to Literary Triumph

You’ve probably heard that Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is “a book about video games.” That’s true — but it’s also a novel about friendship, failure, and starting over. Again. And again.

Zevin started writing the book in 2017 but abandoned it in 2019, mid-despair. Then came lockdowns. In the eerie quiet of 2020, she wrote most of the novel — saying it reminded her of the intense loneliness she felt writing her very first book.

The inspiration? A game from her childhood she could no longer find. That loss became the seed for a story about what we create, what we lose, and what we keep trying to rebuild.

She wrote from a deeply personal place — her parents were both IBM programmers, and she grew up playing everything from Pong to The Last of Us.

🎮 Book Trivia:

• The fictional game Ichigo is named after the Japanese word for “strawberry” — and yes, Yoshi in Mario loves strawberries.

• Gabrielle Zevin researched real game designers like Roberta Williams and John Carmack to shape Sadie and Sam.

• Zevin is famously private. She only posts online for 3 months after a book launch, then goes “quiet mode.”

  
  

Respawn Here: Exploring the Pixelated World of Sam, Sadie, and Marx

Welcome to the world of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow — a world where creativity is a game, collaboration is messy, and grief hits harder than any boss level.

The Games Were Fake. The Emotions? Very Real.

Zevin didn’t just write about games. She created them. From EmilyBlaster (a poetry-shooter inspired by Emily Dickinson) to Pioneers (an Oregon Trail homage), the fictional games mirror the inner lives of their creators.

Sadie’s Solution was inspired by a real indie game called Passage, which explores life and death in five minutes.

You can even play a real version of EmilyBlaster here — though, fair warning, you might want to brush up on Dickinson first.

🎮 Book Trivia:

• Ichigo was inspired by The Legend of Zelda — a game where quests are quiet, personal, and deeply symbolic.

• Master of the Revels channels Assassin’s Creed with a literary twist.

• The visual motif of The Great Wave off Kanagawa shows up in Sam and Sadie’s game design — a blend of art and pixel.

  
  

The Lovers, The Creators, The Ghost in the Code

At the heart of the novel isn’t romance — it’s creative intimacy. But the relationships between Sam, Sadie, and Marx still bring the drama.

Sam and Sadie are childhood friends turned estranged collaborators. Marx is the pragmatic, lovable third wheel who holds their dream together — until (yep) he doesn’t.

Fans have speculated that Marx is based on Keanu Reeves. Zevin has never confirmed it, but we support the theory. (Though Jess would cast Braeden Clarke, FYI.)

🎥 Book Trivia:

• Paramount Pictures bought the film rights for Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow in 2021 — before the book came out.

• Gabrielle Zevin is writing the screenplay and serving as Executive Producer.

• Sadie and Marx’s romance? Not in early drafts. It evolved as the story deepened.

  
  

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow FAQ

Q1: Is Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow really about video games?A1: Yes — and no. It’s a story about friendship, grief, and creativity told through the lens of video games. Zevin uses the structure of games to explore how we start over, survive, and keep building.

Q2: Why is it called Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow?A2: The title comes from Shakespeare’s Macbeth, symbolizing both the monotony and hope of life continuing — one respawn at a time.

Q3: Will there be a sequel?A3: No official word, but in a podcast with Adam Grant, Zevin said she’s “never say never” about returning to Sam and Sadie’s world.

Conclusion

Whether you're an Xennial who remembers DOS prompts or a gamer who’s never touched a book with a joystick reference, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow invites you into a world of pixelated memories, deep loss, and creative rebirth.

If you love book trivia, messy friendships, and literary easter eggs hidden like mushrooms in a side-scroller, hit play.

🎮 So… which fictional game would you want to play first? Ichigo? EmilyBlaster? Or something you’d build with your own code and your best friend?

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